Ivanovic Beats Safina for French Open Crown

She and Serena win their doubles match, too

(NEWSER) - Venus and Serena Williams won their first-round doubles match at Roland Garros today, and all eyes were on Venus, who was wearing—an unadorned black T-back tennis dress. After 2 days of scrutiny thanks to the modified can-can get-up she wore for her first-round singles match, Williams went low-key as she and her sister recorded a 6-0, 6-1 victory, reports the LA Times . More»

(AP) - Svetlana Kuznetsova conquered her nerves and beat a shaky Dinara Safina to win the French Open. Showing uncharacteristic calm, Kuznetsova earned her second Grand Slam title today by defeating Safina, 6-4, 6-2 in an all-Russian matchup. Jitters have often betrayed Kuznetsova down the stretch in big matches, but she swept the final four games with steady play. More»

Third-seeded Williams playing for third straight day

(AP) - Venus Williams was eliminated from the French Open today, losing in the third round of the clay-court major for the third straight year. The third-seeded Williams, who reached the 2002 final at Roland Garros, lost to No. 29 Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-0, 6-4. Williams was playing for the third straight day. Sister Serena is still alive in the tournament. More»

Ivanovic, Safina could really put on a show

(NEWSER) - After some lackluster French Open women's finals in the recent past, this year's matchup between Ana Ivanovic and Dinara Safina looks promising, Barry Flatman writes in the London Times. Favorite (and new world No. 1) Ivanovic has been dominant, but Safina has taken 12 straight matches since winning in Berlin, and her determination bodes well for tomorrow's final. More»

With Henin retired, she's got a chance to regain her dominance

(NEWSER) - Justine Henin's abrupt retirement clears the way for Serena Williams to reassert herself in women's tennis, writes Tom Perrotta in the New York Sun, and there's no better place to start than this week's French Open. Last year, Henin took Williams down in all three majors, but Serena now seems to be at the top of her game mentally and phyiscally. The Open starts Sunday. More»